Srinagar, Nov 8: Despite direction from J&K High Court for restoration of powers of Collector (land acquisition) for Ring Road in Chadoora sub division in Budgam district of Kashmir to local Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), the Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) continues to hold this charge. In June this year, the High Court had directed for restoring Collector's powers with SDM Chadoora for undertaking the land acquisition, but the incumbent SDM had been transferred from the post within a week or so to Gulmarg.The High Court had also directed that all record of land acquisition pertaining to Chadoora sub division be transferred to SDM Chadoora so that he can take up the process of land acquisition in his sub division which was being illegally looked after by ACR Budgam. But before the said record could be transferred to SDM, he was shunted out from the post within no time and transferred to Gulmarg. The new SDM has been posted in Chadoora from last five months but the record is yet to be transferred to him, in violation of the HC orders. As reported on January 23 this year by Early Times, the SDM Chadoora, vide SRO 354, had been designated as Collector land acquisition for Chadoora sub division which consists of tehsils of Chadoora and BK Pora, where from the proposed Ring Road will pass."The ACR Budgam has to look after the charge of collector LA in tehsil Budgam only," said an official in DC office Budgam. The incumbent ACR Budgam Zaffar Ahmad Shwal has not handed over the documents and necessary record to present SDM Chadoora Aziz Ahmad as both the officers are posted in Budgam for last 4 to 5 months. The main culprits, as per sources, are the officials in land acquisition section in DC office who do not want SDM Chadoora to get hold of the official record of Chadoora and B K Pora tehsils. After being ignored to perform his duties as Collector land acquisition in Chadoora sub division, Shabir Ul Hassan (now SDM Gulmarg) had written a letter (copy available with Early Times) to DC Budgam vide letter No: SDM/Misc/ 2088-92 dated 31.10.2017 wherein SDM / Collector requested Deputy Commissioner Budgam to transfer land acquisition record from ACR Budgam's office to Chadoora. But inspite of a lapse of more than one year, the record is yet to be transferred to SDM's office, and people continue to suffer.It was only after locals of village Kuzwera Chadoora had filed a petition for payment of unfair compensation by government that the matter was agitated in the writ petition which was listed before HC on June 10 this year. Counsel for the petitioners, Advocate Altaf Haqqani, had argued that the farmers were offered unfair compensation during land acquisition. To this lawyer representing National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) reiterated that NHAI is ready to pay four times more compensation to the affected farmers provided J&K government adopts Central Land Acquisition Act. The High Court then directed the government to transfer record to SDM Chadoora and give fair compensation to the affected farmers.